


blood in my mouth beats blood on the ground

by blastellanos



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death, Demons, Historical Inaccuracies, M/M, Magic, Non-Famous Family Members As Characters, Religious Themes, Supernatural Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 11:29:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13212804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blastellanos/pseuds/blastellanos
Summary: Whatever that thing was-- it's far beyond what José is used to encountering.





	blood in my mouth beats blood on the ground

**Author's Note:**

  * For [saddestboner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddestboner/gifts).



> No slander intended. 
> 
> This is an AU so forewarned is forearmed. 
> 
> There is character death in this so proceed with caution. 
> 
> Title is from "Blood on the Ground" by Incubus.

He doesn't know what it's gameplan is, but he encounters the demon for the first time in a little suburb of Miami, wreaking havoc at a dilapidated church, which was long since abandoned. By the time José is able to scare it off the church is beyond repair-- the stone shattered. The leather wings of the demon beat like a giant bat and briefly, it blocks out the sliver of moon, before José loses his shadow in the darkness of the night sky. 

José swears a little and spins the athame between his fingers like he's doing sleight of hand, and tucks it back into the leather holster on his belt. It's too close to a metro area to have been using a gun and he frowns and takes shelter in a little lean-to the destroyed church has made. 

His cell phone has a cross engraved in the back and he runs his fingers over the symbol before he unlocks the screen. 

There wasn't a lot of help for someone like him, but he got by where he could and he shoots of a text to his friend-- 

_is that priestess friend of yours still in town? i need a favor_

**oh yah for sure i'll call. i'll get her over**

José tucks the phone away and takes stock of himself, the telltale scent of brimstone has mostly faded, but the slash on his arm still smells like it, and it's already bubbling at the edges. He slaps a bandage on it and heads on-- Nick would be waiting and he needs to hurry.

Whatever that thing was-- it's far beyond what José is used to encountering. 

***

Nick lives in a Spanish colonial house in the very close outskirts of Miami, where the lights from the city make it seem like it's never dark. He doesn't know what Nick does to make the money it must take to maintain and afford it, but he _knows_ people. 

And when José had first come to Miami they'd met up and for whatever reason it was, Nick and him had become and remained fast friends. The problem with him having friends was that there was a lot of risk involved. He would have kept his own job a secret if not for the fact that a minor demon with a vendetta had gone after the people that he loved. 

Which was honestly Nick. 

He lets himself in and finds Nick and his young son in the living room. The priestess in question is there too. She's small, with dark hair and a bright sunny smile-- Liam is on her lap and José sits down on the couch. 

"Uhh, come on honey," Nick says to Liam, "Let mommy and the nice man talk." He scoops Liam off of her lap and makes himself scarce. Probably so he doesn't scare Liam and the woman-- apparently Liam's mom?-- gives him a warm smile. 

"I need you to do some magic." José cuts straight to the point. 

"Nick sort of implied you may need me to." She pulls out a big messenger bag, brightly decorated with flowers and pulls out a mahogany box. "I brought my things." 

She stands up and José follows. 

"We'll be in the yard if you need us." Vanessa yells back to Nick and leads José outside. They clear the wicker furniture off of the patio and José frowns as his arm throbs. He unwinds the bandage and watches as Vanessa carefully draws a circle in salt, setting crystals at the cardinal points, stepping in and out as she works. 

It's an efficient sort of setup which José appreciates. 

"I'm hoping you use this." He gestures to his arm and Vanessa frowns at him a little. She runs a hand through her hair and sighs softly before she uses a sage smudge stick in front of him, coating him with the smoke, before leading him into the circle. 

She grabs a few markers from her box and starts drawing symbols on his arm. 

"That better not be permanent." 

"Beggars can't be choosers, José." 

He can't argue with that. 

As she finishes setting up, José tries to think if he's ever seen anything like that before. 

"More than identify I need to know where it's going. It ran off, it can't be running wild." 

But he's never seen anything quite like that. The demon had been a hulking behemoth, easily ten feet tall with a wingspan to match, bloody red with crimson symbols that glowed all over it's skin, with venom dripping from his teeth and his claws. 

He'd smelled-- _deeper_ than what José was used to. Something ancient about the brimstone that wafted off of him. The demon had one of those minor fear effects, something that made José have to fight his instincts to run away. 

By the time Vanessa is done, the symbols sprawl from around the slash, all the way down his arm and onto his palm. Vanessa is already murmuring under her breath, holding up the crystals in the directions they need to face, moonlight catching them in odd ways. 

It's one of the reasons that José knew she was the real thing, he watched the elements bend to her, and do what they needed to for her to complete whatever spell she was trying to weave. José bows his head-- he would ask her along, but the fact that Liam was her son makes him reticent. 

He's sure he can handle it alone. 

There's the smell of brimstone again and the imp that appears is one of those on the line ones, that list more towards neutral than evil. 

"We need some information." Vanessa grabs the imp by his wings and thrusts him towards José. José frowns a little at the imp and looks at his gleaming yellow teeth and his sharp, almost aquiline face. If José was less involved, he'd think it looked like a cartoon monster, meant to delight and frighten all at once. 

"You can sniff it out, right?" José asks of the imp. The imp snarls at him, lips curling; José knows he has a reputation in those circles, neutral or not. 

"I ain't gonna help him!" The imp's voice is squeaky and Vanessa shakes him by the wings. 

"You want me to rip these wings off of you?" Vanessa doesn't sound like she's joking and José shrugs his shoulders a little as the imp makes distressed sounds, unhappy and obviously in between a rock and a hard place, Vanessa isn't the ally the imp thought that he thought she was going to be. 

"What in Lucifer's name, man?" The imp cries out and wiggles, little feet kicking as he tries to fight Vanessa off. 

"Just sniff that demon out, just tell me where he went." José isn't in the mood to deal with this. He's worried. He's worried about what this might be. About what may be unleashed upon the world and also _why_. The imp sticks it's nose up in the air and sniffs, going back and forth, wriggling in Vanessa's arms so she turns when he needs to. 

"Up north." The imp says. Vanessa jabs him in the side with her fingernail and the imp squeals and scowls. " _Fine_. Michigan." More specific, but also more confusing. José frowns -- Michigan's a big place but it doesn't have _that many_ big cities. 

But a lot of churches. The imp is squirming and complaining, and Vanessa tries a few more times, threatening. 

"Listen lady," The imp squeaks, a puff of smoke escaping, "If I tell you more there's things a lot worse than death down there." 

Vanessa banishes him with a wave of her hand and leaves the two of them standing in the circle of salt. 

"What do you think it is?" 

José shakes his head. "I don't know, Ness, but it can't be good." 

Vanessa looks worried and she glances through the sliding glass doors, where Liam and Nick are playing with a set of Lego bricks. 

"It's gonna be cold, I should get a jacket." Vanessa rubs her arms, her goosebumps aren't from cold, as Miami is nice and balmy. He takes a moment to watch the flicker of Nick's christmas lights, white-then off-then white. 

"No, stay with your family." José says softly and he squeezes her hand. 

***

Nick fights against José going alone, but José is stubborn, and the very real risk of death or injury finally quiets Nick down enough to not want to send Vanessa or come himself. Not that José thought that Nick would be much of an asset. 

Nick leads him downstairs, where there's something like a chemistry lab, and books in ancient writings everywhere. 

"Is this Vanessa's?" José pokes through a book, but it isn't any of the languages he knows, but there's something familiar about it-- almost nagging at him, like he's seen some of these symbols before. Nick shakes his head. 

"No, it's mine." 

José's head snaps up and he gives Nick a confused look. 

"The less you know the better, but me and Ness met through work, okay?" 

"Okay…" 

Nick opens up a cedar chest that looks like it hasn't been used in a very long time and extracts a couple of vials from it. The liquid inside is a shimmering blue, stoppered with some kind of carved rune, and the glass is etched too. 

"I don't have many, they have to cure for so long but... " 

"What is it?" 

"Get out of jail free card?" Nick says. "Look, you can't use them that much because you're… you know, _you_." 

"What that mean?" 

Nick has the grace to look somewhat sheepish and he glances away from José for a moment and then sighs a little. 

"Look, you make money how you do and I make it my way but I know some of your demon hunting skills are dependent on your righteousness and that magic is… _cómo se dice_..." 

José waits expectantly. 

"Evil." Nick spreads his hands out with a little shrug. "Uh, you know." 

"Jesus christ, Nick." José frowns at him, but tucks the vials in his pack. 

"Yeah I know, but it'll heal you up, just you can't… _a lot_ , you know?"

"Eres un idiota." José frowns and Nick pulls him into a hug. 

"I know, stay safe man. I love you." 

José rolls his eyes. But he squeezes Nick tightly. 

"Igualmente." 

***

As soon as José steps off the plane, he misses Florida. Even at the airport, he can see the dusting of snow, people's breath like fog, and he knows it's cold. Winter in Michigan is a lot different than winter in Florida. But at least he knew, at least he was prepared. 

He doesn't know where to start which is frankly agitating. But he does the best he can and sits in a cafe with free wifi, feeling like something is breathing down his neck, and that he's running out of time. His arm still aches, even bandaged tightly. 

He still catches hints of sulfur. 

José finds an event of interest, maybe something. Actually, most likely something. 

A ceremony the weekend before Christmas, a beatification. José has learned one thing in his years about fighting demons and that's the bigger the religious ceremony, the more likely they are to disrupt it. But there's been beatifications before and José hasn't ever seen a demon who looks like the one that he fought. 

His research in to Father Solanus doesn't really bring much information, most of it -- the public knowledge sphere-- is of his good deeds. And the woman whose disease he was claimed to have healed through divine providence. José sighs a little and knows he has to go and dig deeper. 

José finds through digging into more closed off parts of the web that one of the priests who will be running the beatification mass is a Person of Interest. José hates going into that part of the internet, where the demon worshippers congregate under fake names and identities to exchange information and hit lists. 

James McCann doesn't look any different than any normal Catholic priest that José's seen a hundred times. But he seems particularly hated. 

He sees a word in that same strange script that he doesn't know what it means. José thinks-- maybe he needs to learn Infernal. 

***

The St. Aloysius Catholic Church is a beautiful parish. It's nestled in the middle of buildings, the front of it blends in seamlessly, except it's ornate doors and carvings, if the details couldn't be made out, it'd be easy to mistake it for just another storefront. 

There's snow piled up on the ground and cars going back and forth, people hurrying around to finish their holiday shopping. When José steps in, he feels almost at peace. Except there's something strange under the surface of his skin. It's weird. 

José's been to a hundred churches all over the world and none of them have ever given off such a strange energy. Father McCann is there, tidying up it looks like, fixing hymn books and picking up stray programs from the most recent mass. 

(José knew it'd ended not too long ago.) 

José immediately feels funny, his skin prickles a little bit. Normally, Priests had a tendency to put José at ease but this was different. He shakes it off as just nerves from the whole situation. But as he approaches James, the spot on his arm throbs a little more intensely.  
"Hello, Father." José says. The man startles and turns to face him and his smile is disarming, which has a weird effect like tug of war in José's brain. He shakes James's hand in greeting. 

"Hello, my son." José and James bring their hands together and José bows his head as James murmurs a blessing to him in Latin. It feels weird. José isn't sure if he even likes it or not. 

José glances around the church but it looks the same as most of them do, but James is looking at him carefully, blue eyes feeling like they can see inside his soul. 

The attack is unexpected. 

He isn't used to demons being able to get into church, but the portal swirls crackling with fire and heat -- and then there's three minor demons with knife like claws and eyes snapping with fury. 

One snarls out, the language almost hurting. He's heard tales of Infernal and how the holiest of those couldn't stand to speak it. When he was still in training, his mentor Miguel had told him that his priest friend had never returned to normal after hearing it. José had visited him once, for a mission from Miggy, and he hadn't been able to speak anymore, his eyes glazed over from whatever trauma sustained. 

José doesn't like to think about that mission, doing something that Miggy had been unable to do. Víctor had gone silently, looking like it was a blessing as José had ended his years of misery. 

But James seems unaffected, there's no ears bleeding or pain like Miggy had described. 

José barely ducks a massive swipe and pushes at James. 

"Go!" José pushes James further into the church and away from the trio of lesser demons. José mutters under his breath in Iberian and there's a blinding flash of celestial energy as he pulls a sword from the portal. 

It licks with white holy fire and he slashes at the closest demon. It nearly explodes into smoke. James hasn't really moved, he almost seems frozen on the spot. 

José swears and dodges a jet of fire, sliding to get between the demons and James. 

"Are you stupid?" 

"What are you?" James sounds surprised -- shocked. 

José swears and shoves James to the ground and feels his feet leave the ground as he's forced into a row of pews, feeling the wood splinter and jab into him painfully. 

José feels the wood break the skin and he struggles to his feet. But he's bleeding, though. He can feel it trickling down his side. The demons are advancing on James though. 

José shifts his grip on his sword and tries to ignore the splinter of wood sticking from his side. 

José grits his teeth and rushes as best he can. The demons are snarling in Infernal, dark growls that are reverberating through the church. 

"They after you?" José asks James. James has his arms stretched out in front of him, his eyes closed. Like he is ready to die, José finds a surge of adrenaline and mutters another spell, but they're just conjurings and he pegs the demons with small celestial throwing knives. 

The smoke clears and James opens his eyes. 

José frowns at him and then collapses to the floor. Once the threat is cleared, the sword flashes from existence and José grabs the wood and jerks it out. A spray of red follows and James is beside him, hands over the wound. 

Everything _throbs_ and he feels dizzy fast. But at least it was just the environment. He winces a little and leans on James.

"Why they after you?" José asks and James shushes him. 

"Just close your eyes, it's okay." 

José doesn't want to -- but he does. 

***

_José dreams in dark stark black and glowing neon. He feels bonds on his arms and his legs, but he's free from pain. There's things he can't read pulsing in red on the ceiling, off and back on again. The whispers are low beneath the pound of his own heart and he struggles against the cuffs on his wrists._

_The whispers get loud and it's his own voice. His own whispered thoughts about what he wants. There's a presence above him he can't make out, heavy and solid and there's the impression of a hand against his throat and a mouth against his._

_He gives in and lets it take him over, and he never makes out who or what it is, but the dream is vivid besides that. He fights against the bonds as he feels hands on his thighs, teeth against his neck and shoulder, and the heat curling through him, hot like fire._

_A voice not his own whispers to him--_ "Let me." _José agrees to it and he feels the presence press inside and his back arches and he cries out again and again feeling some sort of ecstasy he's never felt before._

***

When José wakes up his wrists still feel sore and he's in a place that looks like the sort of rooms had when he stayed at a monastery to learn meditation. José sits up and his side feels like it's aching still, but there's neat black stitches in them and he rubs his head fuzzily. 

James is writing at a desk and José groans. 

"What happened?" José asks. 

James moves over to the side of the bed.

"You never answered me." James is giving him a look, steady but awed. José groans a little and touches the stitches. He thinks about Nick's potions at his hotel room. 

"I just a human, like you." 

James's brows raise a little. But he doesn't say anything else. José sighs a little and James slaps his hand as he tries to scratch at his stitches. 

"Why were those demons after you?" José asks. 

"Do demons typically hunt down priests?" 

"I never see them like that. Ignoring me." José admits with a frown. José thinks about how James doesn't seem to be feeling any ill effects of the Infernal.

James makes a little hming sound. 

"I think they here for the beatification." José speculates. He doesn't want to worry James, but he thinks about the hulking demon. 

"Do you?" James sounds like he knows something that José doesn't.  
José pokes at his side again. 

"Well I dunno now." José studies James. He wonders what is special about him -- different. "But I have a bad feeling leaving you alone. You just stood there… they could have killed you." 

James's eyes are glittering. "is that so?" 

"Father McCann, you not taking this serious." 

"God will protect me." 

José isn't able to stop the harsh bark of laughter. 

"You see how those demons come in the church? There no sacredness. There's no safety. Not if you no protect yourself and you just let them come." 

James makes another noise, a hum of acknowledgement. José doesn't get James. And it makes him feel weird, like James knows something that he doesn't know, but it doesn't matter. If those demons _are_ after James, he won't feel right leaving him alone. 

"I need to investigate." José stands. "You got a car, Father? Is probably best if we go together." 

James doesn't seem particularly thrilled by the idea, but he doesn't argue. He just adjusts his collar and heads to a back office, returning with his coat on and his keys jangling. 

***

The Saint Bonaventure Monastery looks a lot like the pastoral churches depicted in television shows, the gleaming red brick, and the lone spire towering in the air. It sits like a red-brown stain on the otherwise white ground. The trees are naked and the empty branches stretch towards the grey sky. Down the hill, the headstones jut out like something trying to escape. 

But that's not where José's interest lays. James seems unsettled, his mouth turned down into something of a dark line. José feels like he should comfort him, but he doesn't know how, so he squeezes his elbows and heads for the door. 

"I should probably stay out here." James looks around, rubbing the back of his neck. 

José has a bad feeling-- about this location, about James, about everything and he shakes his head a little. 

"Is probably better we stick together." 

His side still aches, but José tries to ignore it. He pulls the door open and gestures for James to enter. James steps in cautiously, looking as though he's afraid something bad might happen. But what _could_ happen, honestly? He hopes there's enough business in the area to keep the demon's from appearing again. 

"We need to get to the north transept." José leads the way and James grabs him by the bicep, halting his progress. 

"Are we going to see Father Solanus Casey?" James asks. José makes a quick little nod of his head. 

"I seen he gonna be beatified this month. I think-- I think is maybe why they come here." James's grip feels like it burns, too hard and too hot on his bicep. José's eyes narrow a little. "You hurting me." 

"Do you really think they're here for that?" 

José can't place James's tone and he frowns at him more, before nodding. 

"Is the only thing I see that they could be interested in." 

Which isn't _strictly_ true, considering the boards seemed to have a particular loathing for Father McCann himself. He finally lets José go so that they continue on. The room has different colored pavement blocks and then the glass pane overlooks the coffin he's been moved to. 

But there's nothing that sticks out particularly. Since they're alone, José gets down and starts trying to find anything-- any sort of clue that he can. 

"You know, this isn't the Da Vinci Code-- no one left you coded messages to discover whatever it is you're looking for." 

José knows it's probably true, but he wishes. But the information here is just the same as he'd found online as well. Which means it's possible that there isn't going to be a warning of any kind. It makes him feel even more like it's necessary to keep James close. 

"I think--" José looks around the empty room. "I think you in danger too." He takes James's hand and leads him down to the ground, clasping their hands together. 

"Father Solanus is supposed to make miracles. So we ask him for guidance. You mind praying with me, Father?" 

"Of course not." 

James's hands are warm to the touch and José squeezes his fingers a little. Something strange lodges in his chest. 

They stay together like that in quiet, contemplative prayer. But José feels an itchy feeling under his skin, a pull that makes him feel like he _wants_ something. So desperately he can almost taste it. James pulls his hands back and José feels distinctly fuzzy and disoriented. José doesn't like feeling like that and why had _James_ made him feel like that?

"Did you have any visions?" James asks. José shakes his head quickly. 

"But-- I got an idea. Let's go." 

***

José's hotel room has a gorgeous view of the city, but James is the one enjoying it. He stands near the window and looks out over the landscape, as José flips through a book while sitting in the center of the bed. There's snow falling all around now and there's a faint glow of pink from where the sun is setting. The blue light glows on the renaissance center, which catches the light of the setting sun. 

"This is a brilliant view." James sounds awed and José looks up, frowning. 

"Well, is no Miami." José says flippantly. James makes a noise and perches on the edge of the bed. 

"Can I see that?" James gestures to a small book and José frowns. Then shrugs-- it's not going to make a difference. It's unlikely James would understand anyways. He hands it over, the front is bound leather with an embossed cross, rubbed with black oil. The book creaks as James pages through it. 

"What language is this?" 

"Iberian." 

James makes another noise and then stands back up again. 

"Can I ask you something?" James's voice sounds very sad and José glances up. His arm throbs and he puts his hand over it. 

"I guess?" 

"Do you think people can change? Truly change, to overcome whatever fault they have, that they have been saddled with?" 

This is enough to get José to look up at him, his brow furrowing a little. An unhappy sort of look. But James is looking at him intently. José sees sorrow reflected in James's pale blue eyes. It suddenly seems very important to answer his question. 

He's going to-- but his phone pings with a message and he has the answer he needs. He glances at James again and stands up. 

"I think we more than what the world expects of you." He nods a little. James doesn't look confused, but he brushes a hand over José's temple, a light brush of his fingers that feels-- familiar, somehow. And he wonders how it'd feel if-- 

He banishes the thought; there's so much wrong with even contemplating that kind of thing with James-- a man of God and someone whose devotion lay in the church. He reaches out and squeezes James's hand though, as though to give him some sort of strength. He doesn't think it works though. He sighs a little and they head back outside into the cold night. 

"What are you looking for?" James's boots crunch on the fresh snow and José shivers a little, his thin jacket not really protective against the chill of a Michigan winter, and the wind blowing through the streets like a tunnel. James puts his coat over Josés's shoulders. 

"You gonna get cold, Father…" José mumbles. James's jacket smells good and familiar, like he'd breathed this in before. James shakes his head though. 

"Not as cold as you." James doesn't seem bothered by the cold. José frowns but he doesn't fight anymore against it. 

"I think I know where they strike next." José says, "I got a friend who got a way with demons."

"Oh?" 

"They afraid of her I guess. She don't do nothing. But Nick is pretty cowed by her too so…" José smiles and it fades fast, hoping the two of them and Liam are safe back in Miami without José there to protect them. He thinks about Nick's chemistry lab though and the vials that he still has left. 

"That's interesting." James sounds intrigued, but José doesn't think much of it. José leads him through the streets, glancing down at his map app occasionally, and it's close enough that taking a car would have been pointless, but at the same time, José is regretting not having James take it. 

The door to the place he found is painted with a crude devil and has some more Infernal that he doesn't understand and if he didn't already know better, he'd think it was just some graffiti. He slides the door open carefully, with a whispered prayer, and there's a flare of light as the door lock clicks open. 

"You should be careful with that." James whispers to him and José's brow furrows. 

"Why?" 

James gives him a look, then glances away from him, shrugging his shoulders slightly. 

"Seems dangerous, is all." 

They sneak down into the room, creeping down a set of stairs that lead into the room. The place seems empty, so José straightens and takes the rest of the steps two at a time. There's a bookshelf in the corner, sparsely filled, but he grabs the book he's looking for and flips through the pages quickly. 

But it's all in Infernal so it's not nearly as helpful as José had hoped it would be. THe book feels heavy and uncomfortable in his hand, but he tucks it into his messenger bag and gestures for James to follow him back out. 

The familiar snap of brimstone and sulfur fills his nose and the portal opens under his feet. It's lucky James is there, who grabs him by the back of his jacket and jerks him back from the edge of it. They both stumble backwards and a pair of hellhounds show up. Sickly pink, bones showing everywhere, snarling and drooling with their sharp teeth snapping. 

José covers James's body with his own and he feels the heavy paws hit his back and hot breath on his neck. He fears for his life-- honestly, because he knows that the hellhound could end him here, with a sharp bite that could sever his spinal column. 

James throws him to the side though and something dark swirls around his hand and when he throws a fist, dark energy comes off of it and the hellhound yelps as he's driven back. José stares up at James, confused and almost with a sense of dread. 

When James starts speaking though-- things click in to place. The words shake the earth around them, and José can hardly hear them without feeling a thudding in his skull, unpleasant like the beating of a deep drum. He doesn't understand the words. But he knows the language. 

José stares because he doesn't know what else to do. He's not stupid. But he never thought-- he'd never think-- 

James holds his own and he must have a similar but darker form of magic, because he suddenly has a bow and he's scaling up on a bookshelf to get away from the hellhounds. He's agile, fast-- and he turns, perching and crouched on the top to shoot at the hellhounds. 

José's never heard such a horrible sound in his entire life, as they shriek and bark in their death knells. Or close to death knells. José knows-- he knows evil can't kill evil-- or something like that. Miguel's lessons about it flitter out of his head helplessly, but he manages to grab his athame from his bag. 

Blessed by a great and wise Bishop a long time ago, it's the perfect weapon to deliver a killing blow. He manages to dissipate the hellhounds into a puff of smoke, and the place settles down, the bow winking out of existence. 

It suddenly makes sense to José. 

The vitriol. He doesn't know what that word means, but Father McCann is -- is a reformed devil worshipper? He frowns more as James climbs down from the bench. 

"What the fuck was that?" 

James raises his brows at José and helps him dust his jacket off. His smile is a little mischievous, blue eyes glinting. 

"You ain't the only one who's special." 

José feels strange, near sick to his stomach, and he doesn't know what to do except James is obviously safe on his own and perhaps-- maybe José had made a mistake in trusting him blindly. 

"Father…" José's mouth presses into a line and he shakes his head. "I have to go." He says. 

"You can't read that." James points to the messenger bag. He has a point, but José doesn't feel particularly _compelled_ to trust James now. 

"I figure it out." 

James draws up to his full height and crosses his arms over his chest. 

"So now you _don't_ want my help?" James asks. 

"I can't trust you." José knows it's not a very forgiving stance. But he knew how difficult it was to get out from under the draw of that cult; who knew what would happen if he let James read through this book, maybe he'd get sucked back in. José was powerful in his own right; but now he doesn't know just what is lurking beneath James's charming demeanor. 

He's reminded of the off feeling he'd gotten before, when they'd first met. 

"I'm still the same exact person." James shakes his head. 

"No you not." José says and he pokes him in the chest. "You can protect yourself. You no need me." He looks away from him. 

"José--" 

"Not up for debate, Father." José holds a hand up. 

He heads up the stairs and he knows James is right behind him. But he doesn't head back to the hotel just yet and James seems to accept his dismissal. He feels weird, like maybe he'd made the wrong decision. Miggy had told him to trust his instincts though -- and his instincts were to not trust James anymore. 

But he doesn't know how he's going to read this book. 

***

It's almost two in the morning before José gets back to the hotel, James's truck is gone and José sprawls out in bed and stares at the book that he can't read, even though he's sure that it's going to be the clue he needs to figure out what was going on. 

He knows why the demon is there, he thinks-- or why he's _heading_ here, but he doesn't know at what point he's going to strike and he doesn't know how to stall the ceremony so that no one innocent gets hurt. But if he can just figure out a better time of when he might strike, he may be able to set up some wards that would protect the general public. 

But José's at a loss. Neither Vanessa or Nick knows the language or anyone who might. Miggy's long gone, he doesn't know where he's disappeared to anymore. Ever since Víctor-- Miguel had less and less been present, and he hasn't spoken to José in _months_. 

And it wasn't like one could just put a craigslist ad out for it or anything.

José hates to do it, but he's going to have to call in an old favor. He sighs and pages through his phones contacts and finds the number that's listed under a set of empty set signs, and he's resigned to this, even though he'd promised himself he'd never call on him again. 

There's still a painful ugly scar along José's stomach. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it's still shiny and pink like it's brand new, not faded despite the years since then. They had been partners and he'd been reliable, except for when it mattered most. José had made his peace with God, thinking that he was going to die-- but he hadn't. 

They hadn't talked since then, almost four years, or maybe a little more-- but desperate times called for desperate measures. 

José knew he'd been in the game for a long time too so he might know someone. José sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. 

He sends a text. 

_you owe me still. meet me at detroit metro. we gotta talk._

***

José isn't surprised that Salty doesn't look much different. His hair is thinning enough that realistically, he should probably find another haircut, but his hair is still too long and curling, he still has that ridiciulous beard-- he's still big and a little soft around the edges. Maybe he'd been out of work, although his physique had never been _amazing_. 

José frowns, because Salty has the same sad puppy dog eyes, and even through the years, the guilt is still on his face. Near the same expression as the last time they'd spoken. José wants to lash out and almost just sense memory, the scar on his stomach throbs. 

José never had asked what had distracted Salty at such a critical moment, that he'd broken the barrier that was holding one of those hellbeasts back. José had been distracted, trying to find the spell he needed to finish the thing off, since the holy weapons were only glancing blows, that reverberated through his arms. 

José pushes the memory away and greets Salty at the gate, frowning as Salty squeezes his shoulder. José wants to push him away, but he doesn't. Instead he strides towards the door and knows Salty is following. 

"Look, José, I wanna apologize--" 

"No." José interrupts and leads him outside. 

"Jeez, makes you kinda miss Florida." Salty says, pulling his coat around him tighter. "S'almost as bad as Boston." Salty still has a drawl even though José isn't sure when the last time he'd actually lived in the south was. Not that he cares. 

José _likes_ working alone. If he only could just rely on himself. 

They don't talk on the ride over-- or rather, Salty tries a few times to start up a conversation, but José isn't having it. There's mostly the sound of wind rushing over the car and music playing lowly on the radio. 

The hotel room is just as he left it which is a relief. He'd been afraid some demons might try and tear the place up looking for the book, but his wards must have held or maybe they couldn't track him, he doesn't really know and he isn't sure if he cares or not, what the case is. 

Nevertheless, he pulls the book from it's hiding place and sets it down in front of Salty. 

"I don't do that no more." 

José shoves Salty in the chest.

"You gonna help me." José stabs him in the sternum with his finger. "I don't care what you do or no, you _owe_ me." 

"I tried to apologize." 

"That is not good enough." José's teeth clench. 

"Accidents happen." 

"And I coulda _died_." José's voice raises and it feels too shrill and it's too painful. "An apology don't mean nothing, Salty. You _owe_ me. And I need your help. I need some help because I dunno and this nothing like I seen before." 

Salty is looking at him, frowning a little. 

"I dunno what more ya want from me besides an apology." Salty stares down at José and he opens the book. 

"This their book. I can't read it. And if I can't read it I can't figure you out what they up to. You got to know or you got to know someone who does." 

There's no more protest and Salty tugs the book closer to him and he scans the pages. But it's clear he doesn't read it either. He sighs a little and rubs the bridge of his nose. 

"Well, ya got me just in time. I know someone who can read it but he ain't gonna be in town long. Something about how awful these Michigan winters are." 

Salty steps into the bathroom to make a call and José frowns, heart still racing. He touches the line on his stomach and frowns. 

José's eyes close a little and his head droops, he needs to rest. 

"He's gonna be here in a few hours." Salty turns the television on and José frowns. He doesn't really want to rely on Salty, but he needs to rest. He's been going, it feels like, since he woke up from his wounds. And he doesn't really know exactly when he's going to get to rest again. 

José stretches out on the couch and closes his eyes. 

"Wake me up when he gets here." José mumbles. He doesn't hear Salty's reply. 

***

_He dreams of that room again, but his hands are free this time and the presence is hovering, across from him-- contrite. Apologetic._

_"I should have told you."_

_But José doesn't really understand. He doesn't know if he forgives it because he doesn't know what it's sorry for._

_José reaches for the presence and something feels familiar about it as he clasps it's hands. He squeezes a little._

_"I dunno what you mean." José admits, frowning and the presence strokes his hair and then he's kissing him again. He doesn't get it._

_He doesn't get it but he wants it so he gives into it. Electricity crackles through him as he's covered with soft bites and gentle kisses and there's hands everywhere, it feels like so many of them. But he feels like bliss._

_He doesn't mind giving in._

***

Salty's friend arrives near exactly when he said he would. José's awake before then and orders room service to try and re-energize himself. The dream he had during his nap had put him in a strange mood. Even as he eats, he's trying to think of why it felt familiar.

Salty goes downstairs to gather his friend from the lobby and lets himself back in. Salty's friend is a little short with dark hair that looks almost spikey and an almost judgemental set to his face. His dark brown eyes seem to shine with secrets that José wants to know. . 

"I'm Ian." He introduces himself and shakes José's hand and he has a good energy surrounding him. There's a Star of David on a silver chain and he has almost a curl to his hair. 

"José." He introduces himself and then gets down to business. 

"Can you read this?" He asks. Ian frowns seeing the lettering, but he strokes a finger along the pages, and then he frowns. He squints at the pages and shakes his head a little. 

"Not like this, no, but I got ways." He flashes José a toothy smile and closes the book, then lays his hands over the top of it and closes his eyes. 

Salty watches, fascinated, while José considers his next move. When Kinsler raises his hands, the front of it is glowing in pale blue and instead of the symbols he can't read, English translations dance across it like glyphs. 

José opens the book and sees all of the pages like that, light leaking through. 

He flips through, scanning the pages quickly. Finding anything he can to help him figure out what's going to happen. 

In the flitting shimmering blue, it's written again and again. 

**KILL THE TRAITOR**

***

Kinsler leaves the following morning for Los Angeles, leaving José with Salty again. But even Salty makes himself scarce, wanting to disappear. José doesn't blame either one of them, the weather is bitter and with the book translated, there's no need for José to be with anyone else. He checks in with Nick and Vanessa, but he doesn't feel like he has any more leads than he had before. 

They don't specify who the traitor is and José's still worried about Father Solanus Casey's beatification. Ford Field is going to be packed and it's going to be dangerous and he doesn't know what to think-- he knows James is going to be there, because he's one of the priests in the ceremony. 

But they likely won't see each other, which José knows is just as well. 

He'll have to see how the beatification goes. And he's going to have to sneak into Ford Field to set up the wards, that would draw the demon's portal in and force him into the arena of José's choosing. Sure, he's going to be locked in with a hulking behemoth of a demon who could likely kill him; but it was a sacrifice he needs to make. 

He sighs and puts the book away, eventually, and lays in his bed, setting his alarm for the middle of the night. 

*** 

_He dreams again of the room and the sigils pulse in fragmented English. It says **you** and **me** and **desire** and words that aren't translated into English but feel the bearing of something deep and lustful, something primal and dark. _

_Ancient and **wanting**. _

_The presence is lurking, he can feel it flitting around, nervously._

_José feels his heart thudding. The presence puts it's hands on his face._

_"Please, another chance."_

_There's a press of lips, firm and slow._

_The darkness shroud clears for a second, like the sun breaking through the clouds, and he recognizes James's face._

***

It's not exactly easy to sneak into Ford Field. There's gates and bars and security guards and José feels like he's playing a video game, where he has to dip and dodge to get to where he needs. Not that he plays a lot of video games, but he used to watch Nick play, in those moments when they had the free time and they could relax. 

José sighs and ducks in a darkened doorway and he sets down the pair of black and white squares, putting his palm out over the top of them. The white one radiates heat and the black one radiates cold and as he keeps his hand over it and whispers and ancient prayer. 

The black and white meld together into a neutral grey and he pushes it towards the corner and checks an app on his phone, making sure it's close enough to where he needs to be. The other directions could be a little off, not by much, but if they were a few degrees towards being something like southeast or something, it was alright. 

But true North had to be exact, so he was saving it for last. He knows he has it right, because the ward shimmers between white and black, like the pulsing of a beating heart. José tucks it towards a hidden little space and feels the ward pulse to life. 

It should keep everyone safe and he closes his eyes to offer up a brief prayer that it does. By this time tomorrow, this place would be packed with people here for the beatification ceremony and James is going to be here too and whatever it was-- whoever it was that was the _traitor_ , José thinks that they're going to be here. 

José tucks himself up and away so he can stay here and not have to deal with the rush of traffic and anything else, and he leans against the wall and closes his eyes. He was going to need his energy for tomorrow. He grabs his phone and glances at the screen. The picture is from last summer, when he and Nick and Liam had taken Liam to Orlando. José knows the risks and it's okay, he wishes he had the guts to tell them goodbye; but he knows it'd just worry them. 

He wishes Nick and Liam and Vanessa a Merry Christmas and then closes his eyes. He hates that he's still stuck here, and not able to be at home to celebrate with everyone. José sighs a little and tries to relax. It doesn't take him too long to drift off into sleep. 

***

_He's in the room again and he sits in the center of the bed, and everything feels still and quiet. The presence is still there, but this time it's a comfort, even though the low burning of lust still raises up in him like an unstoppable force or feeling._

_But the presence curls around him and he still doesn't know what it is, and it makes him think of James and he's confused and burning with lust._

_"Please." He mumbles and the presence strokes his hands over his face and kisses down his body and strips him naked and his lips press everywhere and over him. José reaches down and grips at the presence as it takes him in and he feels like he's been lit on fire._

_As the heat overtakes him-- he thinks of James._

***

José wakes not feeling rested at all, his brain feels fuzzy and he knows that something horrible is going to happen today. He wishes he had more time to prepare and for the first time since he and Salty had parted ways-- he wishes he had a partner. 

José wishes that he didn't have to do this alone. He sighs a little and untucks himself from where he'd hidden. Things are already getting loud and excitable, people are milling about and getting ready for the ceremony.

It's packed with people now, people dressed in all manner of religious regalia. There's such a holy energy there that it's easy to get caught up in it-- to believe that no demon could possibly break through the powerful energy of Good that's pulsing through the stadium right now. José moves among people like a wraith, feeling invisible as he moves around the edge of the building. 

James is here and José knows it and he sees him, with a few other members of the Saint Aloysious Parish. He frowns a little and wonders if they know, if he's been accepted with open arms by men who are more faithful. José can't give it much more thought, the ceremony will be started any moment. 

José hears a bell ringing and he smells sage and he knows there's not much more time. 

José moves through the throng of the crowd, claiming his seat is closer to the field as people mill about and even with the call to prayer is starting and the response is almost deafening. José feels like he's being called home as the swell of prayer rises around him. 

James steps up to the altar and José feels a rumble beneath the earth. José feels his wards shimmer to life and the massive portal opens in the end zone. José jumps over the wall and runs towards it, the ward coming up, a brilliant shimmering bubble of energy starts to shine into life. 

José sees the demon start to emerge and he knows it's the same one. His arm burns with the proximity of it, and he still sees the oozing cuts from where he'd messed it up during their first encounter. José says his simple prayer and draws his sword out of the celestial portal. 

It's huge wings creak like bat wings, leather and causing José to shudder in fear. He wants to run. But he grits his teeth. He can only hope the wards hold as his guttural voice reverberates Infernal that seem to bounce and echo in the sphere. 

"I can offer you what you want." The demon's voice is rumbling and deep and rattles in José's head like a handful of marbles. José tries to fight against it, but his brain feels like it's dunked in the deep black water and a vision overcomes him. It's tinged in red and darkness that's more than black. But there it is, he's on the outside looking in on a quiet life. 

He sees himself and a little baby and he's free of pain and terror and fighting-- he doesn't know who it is he's with, someone bigger than him, who hugs him from behind and they're happy-- they're-- 

Reality cuts back in like a blade and José grits his teeth. 

"I no want your gifts." José steels himself. He's so small compared to the demon, the thing is a giant, towering over him and it's horrifying-- _terrifying_ but he can't let it win. He tightens his grip on the hilt of the blade and charges forward. 

Heat ripples off of the demon in waves, cresting over José uncomfortably. There's glowing symbols pulsing in different locations and José is sure he knows how to defeat him. He wishes now he'd learned better marksmanship, like Salty had favored crossbows -- and even James had used that bow but José was going to have to rely on his athleticism. 

He dodges under a powerful sweeping strike of the demon's hand and grabs on to the curving claw on his wing. The leather of it feels slimy and slick and he starts scaling up, his heart pounding painfully. This close, the fear effect is near overpowering and the creature beats his wings to try and shrug José off. 

Through the barriers, he can see everyone is staring, everyone is watching. José frowns a little as he notices but continues scaling up, continues fighting. The demon lets out a bellowing sound as José pierces the first sigil and his flesh seems to burn redder and he flicks José off of his back, throwing him against the other end of the barrier. 

José feels his vision swim as his head slams into it and his arm is bleeding again and the wound in his side is reopened and he can feel it, everything that's causing him pain, and the ache of years of doing this. José closes his eyes and tries to remember the prayer he needs. 

"What are you?" José is reeling still. The demon is advancing, his steps like thunder. 

"I am Karik." The name causes a quake of it's own. José knows the name and his blood runs cold as the name washes over him. Karik, the Vengeance. A demon that hunts traitors for Lucifer. One of the most terrifying demons. Just the mention of his name was enough to bring the hell denizens to heel. 

"You're not here for Solanus Casey?" José manages to get to his feet again and says a prayer, stopping Karik's advance with a series of throwing knives. They miss the mark-- the glowing symbols-- but hit enough and sting enough to hold him back. 

"Mortal saints hold no interest for me, hunter." Karik's claws gleam above José, whose struggling to finish standing. "I'm here for the traitor." 

"Who is the traitor?" 

"I am." There's a voice behind him and the demon turns, wings scraping along the barrier. Between Karik's legs, José sees James. That doesn't make sense-- James is a priest, James is a reformed devil worshipper. He's not a traitor. Not in the sense that Karik seeks out. 

Karik snarls and he dashes towards James. It's a distraction-- it gives José enough time to finally get his feet back under him and he launches himself forward. He's wishing he had a partner now and he says another Iberian chant and the gleaming bow shines like an angels wing. He grits his teeth and takes aim. 

He pegs Karik in the sigil glowing at the back of his massive skull and his color starts to flicker out. José knows it's close-- they're close to winning. He takes aim with the other show and Karik thrusts his hand forward. His claws are like knives and he watches them thrust forward into James's chest and come out the other side. 

It's deafening, the roar of blood in his ears and he watches James flicker-- from the form he's in to the thing he's seen in his dreams. Or hasn't seen but has had the impression of. _Incubus_. But that hardly matters at this point. José's vision swims red and then white hot and he takes the other shot and Karik starts to crumble into dust. 

But the damage is done and James is crumpled to the ground, flickering between forms and José hurries over to his side, terrified and his face is wet-- José doesn't know why he's crying. He strokes James's hair from his forehead, but he doesn't have time. 

The barrier is flickering and José knows it's dangerous. 

He gathers James in his arms, feels the blood seeping through the fabric of his shirt and says the spell he never has used before-- the words feeling strange in his tongue. 

José knows he doesn't have enough time-- but the stadium winks out of existence and José feels like he's hurtling through space. 

The hotel waves into view and José feels sick with the magic and he knows that James is even worse off. He feels cold and weak, his heart fluttering weakly when José puts his hands there. He grabs his pack and digs through, trying to find the vials. 

He finds the shimmer blue liquid that Nick had given him and forces James to drink it. 

The magic has exhausted him though and the vial drops to the floor and bounces and José slumps over James and hopes it works. 

***

_He's in the room, but there's no light and the presence lays beside him, it's breathing uneven, and he wishes he could do something more. José lays against him, wraps his arms around as comforting as he can, and strokes his fingers over James's chest._

_"You should have let me go." James voice is weak, barely above a whisper. "This hurts too much, it's not-- I'm not."_

_"Shhh." José squeezes James tighter. José doesn't know_ why _but the feeling there has been growing since the first dream. He can't-- he shouldn't be in love with a demon, but José didn't have a lot of sense and well, James was-- James had been here in his dreams, trying to apologize._

_Not even trying to corrupt him as he slept, but smooth over their misunderstanding. "It's going to be okay." José squeezes James closer to him and hopes he's right. James seems settled, his breathing evening out. Or maybe it's so shallow he's going to stop breathing, and all of this is for nothing._

_José feels the sob well up in him and pets his hands over James's chest again, he can feel the holes from the demon's strike and they don't feel like they're shallower or healing. He doesn't think it's going to work. José kisses the back of James's neck softly and squeezes his eyes shut._

_"Is gonna be okay."_

***

José awakens and he's freezing.

It's snowing outside and the heat is silent. 

He's alone but there's a note. 

_i have to make sure. thanks for everything. -jm_

José arrives back in Miami but the sun doesn't banish his sadness and he wonders if this is the kind of feeling that had made Miggy withdraw when he lost Víctor. José hadn't even had James but the loss is leaving him mourning. 

His dreams are empty too. 

Nick shows him the newspaper clipping he'd saved of the battle and he celebrates a late Christmas with Nick and Vanessa and Liam. 

After the New Year, José decides it's time to get back to work and he winds up at home, finally getting everything gathered up again, and checking the forums to see where demon activity has been dusting up. It's time to move on. 

***

He's in California tracking down a particularly nasty skinwalker, sitting in the hotel and researching, when there's a knock on his door. José frowns when it happens, but he never knows who might be winding up to help him these days, since he knows he's in Ian's neck of the woods now. 

When he opens the door, James is standing in front of him, and José stares in surprise, his heart racing. 

"What are you--" José starts but James gathers him up and kisses him soundly, deep and it's just like the kiss from his dreams-- claiming and perfect and he sinks into it immediately. James flashes a toothy smile at him. 

"I had to keep you safe, but they ain't after me anymore." James explains. He drops a duffel bag down and José looks at it. 

"And I'm guessing that I ain't doing enough just being at the church and all. So I came to help." 

"Hunt them?" José asks and James nods. 

"Yeah." James says and he sticks a hand out to José. "Partners?" 

José throws his arms around James instead, burying his face against his chest. It wasn't perfect-- but it was a start.


End file.
